Effective Communication: How to make a Peanut Butter Sandwich

I think one of the biggest setbacks we all face is a lack of effective communication. Both personal and professional aspects of our lives are influenced quite often from not effectively communicating. I was able to experience this first hand at a management workshop that I had the opportunity to attend. It was so enlightening and humorous that I knew I wanted to share it with all of you…

The instructor asked for 2 volunteers. One would give the other instructions on how to make a peanut butter sandwich and they would not be able to see each other. The direction giver had to use 10 easy to follow steps and the direction follower had to do EXACTLY what he was told and the only question he was allowed to ask was “how”. Everything was laid out on the table; a plate, knife, jar of peanut butter, and bottle of jam.

Some of the highlights of the lesson were VERY funny to watch. A whole loaf of bread (that was still in the bag) became covered in peanut butter (he had failed to tell him to open the bag and remove a slice of bread) and the whole bottle of jam was placed on top of the sealed loaf of bread that was already covered in peanut butter (this was because he instructed him to take the jam and put it on the peanut butter that he just put on the bread). 

The workshop, while very humorous, allowed me to observe effective communication in a different perspective. It made me see how it is so important when speaking to that other individual to ensure that we provide enough information for both parties to succeed. I was able to observe that the person who was giving the directions on how to make the peanut butter sandwich was even more frustrated than the person trying to do what was asked of him.

In the exercise the direction follower was only allowed to ask ‘how”, but each time the direction giver heard “how” he became more frustrated saying “what do you mean how just take the bread!” He wasn’t really listening; he was taking for granted that the other individual should know what he meant.

Most all of us take for granted that our friend, coworker, employee, acquaintance, sweetheart, child, etc. will know what we mean. When we are instructing or asking something of someone we often only give a brief summary of what we want and presume they will know the rest. We let our previous experiences with others get in the way of dealing with new people and often don’t provide enough information.

I like to think of communication as a scale that needs to balance. On one side is the giver and the other side is the receiver. If only one side is active then the scale will not balance. What I mean by this is even if you are the greatest communicator in the world it will not mean anything if you do not get feedback from the other side of the scale. It will not balance. Remember communication is a 2-way street. Ensure that your scale always has a sense of balance…you will be amazed at how it can change your life! 

Effective Leadership with Footprints

Effective Leadership with Footprints: Where do yours lead you?

When we think of leadership and footprints, we tend to only think of the mark a leader leaves on their followers and organization. But let’s look at the footprints from the literal perspective. Just imagine you could see your footprints as you travel throughout your organization on any given day, what would they tell you about your leadership style.

When I was a Wal-Mart manager the concept of footprints was constantly drilled into us. The concept is an easy one, what if you could see your footprints from above as you travel throughout the workplace. Now, most managers and leaders tend to stick to the main aisles, hallways, corridors, etc. as they come and go, conduct business, and attend meetings. However, the thing to remember is where the majority of the work is performed. Unfortunately, it’s not in these aisles, hallways, or corridors. If we’re going to lead people, we need to spend time with them. Management by walking around is the same concept, however, I believe the term footprints is a much better word. Managing by walking around doesn’t necessarily mean a manager is traveling every area which work is performed, nor when it is performed.

When I first became a manager, I read the best-selling book, “The One Minute Manager”, which many people would remember talked about setting goals, praising and reprimands. I have heard many people over the years say this book is common sense, and you know what, they’re right. If we all can agree “The One Minute Manager” is just common sense, it raises the question, why isn’t done in every workplace by every leader?

If we compare the One Minute Manager to the concept of footprints, it can be clearly seen how leading effectively involves one very important element, spending time with the people you’re leading. For those of your who are Doctor Who fans, the concept of “space and time” is something we have heard many times. Now take the concept of footprints and apply it to space and time. This is something I have always done and is the way Wal-Mart trained me. If we think of our places of work as the spatial component, and the time aspect as all the different time's work is performed, for example, days, evenings, and midnight shifts, we can clearly see when the work is performed. If you’re a leader, are you responsible for leading people on different shifts then you normally work? If so, do you ever make the time shift to spend time on those alternate shifts where your people are?

When I was with Wal-Mart and MDS labs, I had people who worked only evenings, nights and/or weekends, which meant I needed to spend time on those different shifts so I could not only see what was being done but to also provide those shifts with the leadership they deserved and required.  Yes, this can be difficult, however, spending time with your employees is key in developing a successful team.

How often have we seen situations such as these;

Bob, a new manager with ABC Tech started his fourth week with frustration over issues arising from the weekend shift with quality and budgets. He decides to ask John for help since he has been with the company for years. He asks John, “what is it they do on the weekends that requires so many people, and why with so many people are there quality issues?” Bob becomes even more frustrated when he hears John’s answer, “I don’t know”. You ask him to elaborate, however, he only replies, he doesn’t know want they do on weekends.

If I were Bob, I would rearrange my schedule and work some weekends to spend time with my people I’m responsible for leading. This is the sort of thing I did when I was management with Wal-Mart and MDS. It’s amazing the effect this has on the team, not only do they see you as a leader who takes the time and initiative to spend time with them, but also someone who is approachable, and willing to help. This has the effect of increasing morale and overall performance. One thing employees do not like to hear their manager say is “I don’t know what you do”, in cases like this the employee usually have thoughts of how do you expect to manage and lead us.

Another situation many of us have experienced is:

Sally, transferred to the HR division of Techy Tech three months ago and is starting to feel as if she is not doing a good job. She came from a small branch in the Maritimes where she would often see her manager who regularly provided feedback on her performance. Now that she’s in the much larger branch in Toronto, she has only seen her manager a few times since she’s been there. During lunch one day she asks Peter, “What could I being doing wrong?” Peter asks “what makes you think you’re doing something wrong?” Sally tells Peter she never sees her manager and in three months has never received any feedback on her performance. Peter Laughs, and tells her that’s what is like around here, “if nothing is said, then you’re doing a good job. No news is good news”

How many times have we heard or experienced a similar story? Looking at these stories, the thing lacking in both is the leader spending time with their people. By utilizing Footprints in both space and time, situations such as these can be eliminated. The benefits are huge, employees will feel better about their work and who are more engaged, especially during times of change management and uncertainty in the organization. 

We all know how difficult it can be at times to manage workload, however, leaders need to better understand, when they have a highly effective team which produce high-quality work, a leader’s job becomes that much easier especially when it comes to their other responsibilities such as reports, budgets, meetings, follow-up, setting and managing goals, etc.

Things to remember when walking around the work area:

•        Remember to spend time with each employee, do not simply walk through the work area.
•        Praise your employees, a pat on the back goes a long way
•        Observe the workflow, how is it affecting your team, good or bad
•        Remember to take notes, these will come in handy during performance reviews and will aid       in setting goals
•        Share information
•     Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up,

 The only way we can effectively lead your people is to spend quality time with them, remember praising and reprimanding people, and setting goals works best when you see them in the work area performing their duties, this is the best time to praise them for their hard work and correct actions which need attention. Far too many times we see leaders who are disconnected from their employees, and then wonder why things aren’t going well for the organization.